Magdalene Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels

What people wore

Women's mourning caps in Scheeßel

A woman in the Scheeßel parish typically owned about 11 different caps, five of which were used exclusively for mourning periods.

Daily life

Dark and smoky rural homes

Rural homes often lacked chimneys, causing smoke from open hearths to fill living areas with poor air. Many houses were dark, with only small windows or simple peep-holes.

News and letters

How letters were prepared for sending

Letters were typically written on large double sheets of paper, fixed with sand instead of blotting paper, and sealed with wax. The folded letter itself served as the envelope, with the sender and recipient written directly on the outer side.

Music

Musical Cradle Devotions and Festive Processions

During Christmas, Jesuits organized cradle devotions, where a constructed cradle containing a figure of the Christ child was rocked to the sound of music. Music was also used in processions, often involving bells, trumpets, military drums, and even the discharge of muskets and cannons.

At the table

Daily Porridge Habits

Because meat was expensive and rarely eaten, families often relied on a thick, long-cooking grain porridge as their primary warm meal. To stretch the food, they frequently reheated it, resulting in a thick, semi-solid consistency.

Getting around

River travel from Regensburg to Vienna

Starting in 1696, boats called 'Ordinari' transported passengers down the Danube from Regensburg to Vienna, a distance of about 450 kilometers that took at least one week.

Work

Rural Dominance and Shared Household Living

About 80 to 90 percent of the population lived in rural areas, working as farmers or laborers, while town dwellers often worked in skilled crafts or trade. Rural life was dominated by subsistence farming, where families shared their homes with livestock and often rendered labor services to a landlord.